heart blooms
by laurelsalexis
Summary: Rafael likes to be the one to give gifts rather than receive them, but he knows that Sonny is serious. Even underlined that he was serious with some exclamation points and there's something cute about the heart at the end of his name.


Rafael didn't normally spend copious amounts of time in Sonny's apartment. For one, he just prefers to be in his own space. For two, he's historically been working late hours and his office is the only place he sees most of. For three, Sonny just hadn't bothered on asking him to stay. They somehow always ended up at his apartment. Until he got called to a crime scene a few too many times having to wear suits from the previous day. Since then Rafael casually shifted to spend more time at Sonny's apartment.

Not that it always helps the whole being late thing, but at the very least Sonny is dressed in clean clothes.

Being more at Sonny's apartment over his own doesn't exactly hurt given he doesn't quite have a job he needs to be at. He's taking something of a vacation and that's his excuse for simply letting Sonny kiss him on the forehead before he left the apartment to go to the job he still has. He's too comfortable and warm to bother moving.

His body seems to be catching up on years of lost sleep, leaving him rolling around in bed well into the mid morning hours. The only reason he even rises is to actually get something to eat. He's starving and maybe there will be some light snooping. Not that Sonny is all that shy about talking about anything that Rafael asks. No, he's pretty much an open book and they even decided to talk about their families later when they were both in the mood for it.

So never.

He stretches as best as he can while still in the bed, rolling over, his eyes being met with a box and a note. It's a gift, can tell before he even fully focuses on it. Grabbing the small piece of paper he rolls his eyes as Sonny wrote him some overly mushy note explaining that he got him a gift and no, he won't take it back.

Rafael likes to be the one to give gifts rather than receive them, but he knows that Sonny is serious. Even underlined that he was serious with some exclamation points and there's something cute about the heart at the end of his name.

Sometimes he really cannot deny Sonny what he wants.

It's all too obvious what it is when he opens the box. Sonny's been wearing an Apple Watch on his wrist for as long as he could remember, and they've even had some light jesting back and forth about Rafael's watch. Which he does like the watch he currently wears. It tells the time. It is not as if he needs it to do anything else and certainly not given that he had a Blackberry given to him by the DA's office.

But then he quit his job and found himself with an iPhone and moving through all of the apps. It's a nice phone, he does admit when Sonny is kissing at his neck and bugging him about it.

The watch is still ridiculous.

He removes it from the box and instantly rolls his eyes. More so at himself because there is something about it he does like. Probably because Sonny has gifted it to him and even if he doesn't admit this there isn't actually much he wouldn't do for Sonny.

The first thing he does is put it on because why not? It's nice, comfortable, the dark blue of the band looks nice against the slight tan of his skin. It'll look nice and pretentious when he's not wearing anything overly formal as he figures out what exactly he's going to do with the rest of his life other than spend far too much time with Sonny.

He even plans to make him dinner and he feels much more like a kept man than he ever did before. He's worked every moment that he could. It just feels...odd.

The watch winds up back in the box as he showers and finds something to eat. By some miracle, Sonny does have something worth eating but he's always been more of a cook out of the two of them. Sonny likes to do it and Rafael has to do it. Just one of the many differences between the two of them.

It doesn't take him long to feel as if the damn box is mocking him and to set it up, scrolling through the apps and wondering what he can possibly need all of these for.

It's not as if he's running often or ever. That time he bought the outfit just to chase Rollins down still remains in one of his drawers to never be used again. He doesn't even favor wearing sneakers at any given time, something about them annoying him. In addition to that he didn't have the time and it's been so cold that cannot be good for working out.

Really, it's just a list of excuses and he's perfectly fine with where he is.

Before he knows it two hours have passed and he's still unsure about the watch and why he needs it.

That's exactly it though - he doesn't need it.

Yet, he doesn't have the heart to tell Sonny that he would truly prefer his old watch that is suspiciously missing.

He doesn't worry over it since Sonny would never actually rid of it. Probably just hid it somewhere Rafael won't look. He gets distracted when the watch tells him he's been sitting for too long and something about actually needing to get up to complete some daily goal.

Should have known that randomly pushing a few of the apps would backfire against him.

He has been sitting for too long but that is hardly the point.

He is bored and annoyed. A trip out into the actual city he pays a small fortune to live in seems in order, finding something appropriate to wear. It's cold, cloudy, and there's a light dusting of snow over the city, making it less than ideal. He's trying to get out of the suit wearing habit, opting for a sweater, to go with the trousers.

Start small.

A text is sent to Sonny that he'll meet him for dinner after work rather than make something as he has suddenly become too intently set on trying to find out a way to actually make the damn watch work.

He rolls his eyes when Sonny actually sends his own heartbeat.

Ridiculous.

He ends up smiling, of course, but that is hardly the point.

By the fifth ridiculous message from Sonny, though, he begins to wonder if the watch was a questionable idea.

He puts on the outdoor walk feature so he can at least feel somewhat productive as he walks down the busy streets at the pace that he perfected was he a kid, only to nearly lose when he was off at Harvard.

It's beginning to snow again, though, and he's cold. Coffee is the thing he seeks out near immediately and ignores the buzz of the watch when it's definitely Sonny saying something. Again.

Hardly as if the number of messages is increasing with the addition. Rather Rafael was doing his best to use his phone less and usually read the ones from Sonny all in one sitting after realizing he shouldn't ignore everyone. But now with the watch on his wrist it's instant when he can check with just a twist of his wrist.

Rafael ignores the watch though. He can read the news but quite likes paying for the paper and sitting in the coffee shop as he drinks from the cup and watches the snowfall. He likes that he doesn't need to be anywhere in the middle of the day even if he feels a bit...lazy.

As it turns out the message is from his mother making certain that she knows the Sunday dinner is not option for either of them. They will both be sitting at her dinner table and playing nice. She uses his trial and secret boyfriend above his head too many times to count and he complies each and every time.

There are three more messages from Sonny as he does paperwork at his desk and saying he'll be late.

Two more heartbeats so he knows Sonny isn't dying or something equally ridiculous.

Rafael sends his own only once and that's all he can ask for.

Affection is not his strong suit, nor has it ever been. His therapist that time he was appointed to one after a case gone terribly wrong down in Brooklyn had suspected it had something to do with his childhood and parents. Rafael would not necessarily disagree but he hasn't been back to any therapist ever since it was proven that the job was not driving him absolutely mad.

But Sonny is quite the opposite. He likes to touch and kiss, he likes when they're close and nearly on top of each other, he likes the soft messages and the dumb heartbeats that only a ridiculously overpriced technical watch can provide.

It's a compromise and he's trying.

That's all anyone can ask.

By the time he's entering the building to the precinet the snow is settled on the ground and if they're lucky it will not pick back up again until they are home.

 **Home**.

He is not going to focus on how home has become synonymous with Sonny.

It's a heavy weight he's not ready to mess with just yet.

Sonny is at his desk focusing on the paperwork as Rafael moves from the elevator to where he's sitting. Liv's door is shut and from the blinds he can see Stone is with her.

He leans against Sonny's desk, crossing his arms, looking down at the man who is trying to keep it somewhat professional. Even if they don't work together and he's certain everyone knows they are together.

No need to hide anything.

"Hey, Siri. Text Sonny. Why exactly are you so ridiculous?" He's smiling the entire time, though, hitting send, and noticing that Sonny isn't doing much better at keeping it together.

"You like your gift?"

"It's..." he pauses, trying to find the right word, "a gift you would get me."

"Welcome to this century, Rafi." Sonny replies with a shake of his head, smile wide and big as always.

Green eyes narrow, just slightly. "Are you calling me **old**?"

"I never said that."

"But you're not disagreeing." He hums softly, enjoying the teasing.

Sonny puts his pen down, turning in his chair so he's looking up at Rafael, the one time that ever happens. "Your hair is graying."

"So is yours." He moves his fingers through Sonny's hair. "More than mine. You should use less gel."

"You keep saying that."

"And you keep using the whole bottle." The tease is soft, fingers running along the line of his jaw, finding he did miss him. He was able to see so much of Sonny before but now, he goes off to work as Rafael tries to figure out his new life path. He can do anything he wants and that thought doesn't bring him comfort, not when he's so unsure.

He's never been so unsure about anything in his life.

"I'm starting to think you don't deserve that watch."

"Mm, I don't." He leans in, not caring about the vague idea to keep things work place professional, a little too close. "But I'll make it up to you. Later. After you shower."

"You can shower with me." He says as casual as ever, swallowing, trying not to smile. The corners of his lips twitch up anyway.

"Siri, text Sonny." He speaks into the watch. "The watch is entirely unnecessary but I love that you thought of me."

"I'm right here."

"You need to get your money's worth."

Sonny leans in and kisses him, hand on the side of Rafael's neck to hold him closer. Rafael smiles against his lips, taking ahold of Sonny's tie, wanting him to never move from where they both were.

"How much longer?" Rafael murmurs, giving a slight tug of his tie.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He pulls back with a too wide smile, a sparkle in those blue eyes of his. "It wasn't asked through Siri. I can't reply."

"Shame." Rafael cannot help but smirk. "And here I thought you'd like showering with me."

"Siri," Sonny talks to his own watch, "text Rafael and tell him ten minutes."

"Oh, look at that. He replies."

Sonny situates himself so he can go back to finishing up the paperwork. Not that Rafael moves, rather only finds himself more comfortable half seated on the desk.

"How's it going with Stone?" He asks after a few moments, eyes shifting back to Liv's office.

Sonny shrugs. "He's not you."

"I'd hope not."

"You know what I mean."

Just then the office door opens, the pair walking out and talking about something Rafael can't and likely doesn't want to hear. "Liv seems to be doing fine."

Sonny shrugs once more, focused on the papers.

"Detective Carisi. Barba" Peter greets, handing Sonny a file, focusing on him over Rafael. "I need you to go over this for case prep tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure. No problem." He offers a polite smile.

Rafael folds his arms across his chest, watching the man with an uncertainty. Seems nice enough but he did attempt to prosecute him so he doesn't think they'll be getting drinks any time soon. Justified or not.

"Goodnight." Peter says after a moment, turning around and walking off.

Rafael can feel Liv looking on and he just shrugs in return to her curious look. They talk as much as they had before, just not really about the new ADA. Much preferred it that way.

"Oh, yeah. I'm way more entertaining than that." Rafael breaks the ice, a soft smirk as he turns back to Sonny.

Sonny rolls his eyes, but does laugh. "Come on." He stands, "before it starts snowing and you grow unappreciative of my gift."

"I would never." Rafael replies in a tone that is filled with mock offense.

Sonny gives him a pointed look as he puts on his jacket, grabbing Rafael's hand with an ease that they've grown into over the past few weeks. It's comfortable. It's good. He likes it.

"Night, Lieu." Sonny says to Liv as they pass her office door, a soft goodnight and keep out of trouble offered from where she sat behind her desk.

Rafael stops him before they get to the elevator, looking up at Sonny. "I love you and I do appreciate the watch."

"I know." He smiles in one those pure and gentle ways that can make anyone's heart beat faster. "I love you, too."


End file.
